What Happened On
Hank Aaron's 714th Home Run
April 4, 1974
The baseball legend Hank Aaron hits his 714th home run, tying Babe Ruth's record. He hit number 715 four days later.
World Trade Center
April 4, 1973
The World Trade Center is dedicated. At 1,350 feet and 110 stories it was the world's tallest building. However, this record was broken the following month by the Sears Tower.
It would be bombed by terrorists in 1993 and destroyed in the 2001 9/11 Attacks.
Martin Luther King Assassination
April 4, 1968
The civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by escaped convict James Earl Ray.
The previous day, he had given his famous "I have been to the mountain top" speech, which expressed his acceptance of his impending death.
"…Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."
Stompanato and Lana Turner
Stompanato and Lana Turner
Lana Turner's Boyfriend Killed by Her Daughter
April 4, 1958
While movie star Lana Turner's gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, Jr., was beating her in her Beverly Hills bedroom, Turner's 14-year-old daughter rushed in and fatally stabbed him with a carving knife. It was later ruled self defense.
NATO
April 4, 1949
The North Atlantic Treaty is signed by twelve nations creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It was put together by World War II allies. Moscow called it a weapon of war.
The original 12 signatories:
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Iceland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• United Kingdom
• United States
First U.S. Woman Elected Mayor
April 4, 1887
Susanna M. Salter is elected by Argonia, Kansas. Nominated as a prank, she didn't find out she was running until the morning of the election. She was nominated without her knowledge by a group of men who opposed women in politics as an attempt to humiliate her and discourage other women from running for office. She won with two-thirds of the vote. She served her one-year term and declined to run for reelection.
First U.S. President to Die in Office
April 4, 1841
William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia after serving only 31 days as U.S. President. At the time, his death was attributed to having given an almost two-hour inauguration speech (the longest U.S. Presidential inauguration speech) in bad weather. However, he didn't get sick until three weeks after his inauguration speech. Harrison's doctors tried several cures, such as opium and leeches, but to no avail.
American Flag
April 4, 1818
The Flag Act of 1818 is adopted by the U.S. Congress. It specified a flag of 13 stripes, one for each of the original colonies, and 20 stars, one for each state currently in the union. New stars were to be added as new states entered the Union.
The previous Flag Act of 1794 specified a flag of 15 stripes and 15 stars, one each for the 15 states of the Union at the time. It was deemed impractical to add a new stripe for each new state added, so they chose to go back to 13 stripes and a star for each state.
There were no official U.S. flags with 16, 17, 18, or 19 stars.
500 Club
April 4, 2003
Sammy Sosa hits his 500th home run.
Mario Andretti
April 4, 1993
At age 53, the legendary racecar driver Mario Andretti becomes the oldest person to win an Indy-car race, by winning the Valvoline 200. This also made him the first driver to win in four different decades.
First Launch of the Second Space Shuttle
April 4, 1983
Challenger is Launched. In 1986, it exploded 73 seconds into its launch, resulting in the death of all seven crew members, including civilian school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
The Beatles
April 4, 1964
The Beatles take the top five positions on the Billboard list.
Nuclear Weapons
April 4, 1958
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev asks the U.S. and Great Britain to follow the Soviet Union in banning nuclear weapons testing.
Birthdays
Maya Angelou (Marguerite Annie Johnson)
Born April 4, 1928 d. 2014
African-American poet, civil rights activist. When she was eight years old, she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. He was convicted and sentenced to a single day in jail. When he was released, he was murdered; some believe by her uncles. After the incident she refused to speak for almost five years, believing, "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone." She was also the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco. Writings: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).
Wrong Way Roy - Worst Blunder in College Football
Roy Riegels
Born April 4, 1908 d. 1993
American football player. During the 1929 Rose Bowl he ran 65 yards the wrong way. He was stopped six inches from the goal by his own teammate. A safety scored on a blocked punt the next play caused his team to lose (8-7). This is often considered the worst blunder in college football. After this, he became known as Roy "Wrong-Way" Riegels.
David Blaine
Born April 4, 1973
American magician. Known for his close-up street magic, levitations, and life-threatening endurance stunts.
Robert Downey Jr.
Born April 4, 1965
American comedian. TV: Saturday Night Live.
Craig T. Nelson
Born April 4, 1944
American Emmy-winning actor. TV: Coach (Hayden Fox) and The District (Chief Jack Mannion). Film: Flesh Gordon (1974, The Monster), Poltergeist (1982), and The Incredibles (2004, Mr. Incredible).
Anthony Perkins
Born April 4, 1932 d. 1992
American actor. Film: Psycho (1960, Norman Bates).
Elizabeth Wilson
Born April 4, 1921 d. 2015
American Tony-winning Theater Hall of Fame actress. Stage: Sticks and Bones (1972, Tony). Film: The Addams Family (1991, Abigail).
Mickey Owen (Arnold Malcolm Owen)
Born April 4, 1916 d. 2005
American baseball catcher. He hit the first pinch-hit home run in an All-Star game (1942). He dropped a third strike in the 1941 World Series that allowed the Yankees to win the game and go on to beat the Dodgers in the series. Ironically, that same season he had set the record for most errorless chances by a catcher with 508 perfect attempts.
The Father of Chicago Blues
Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield)
Born April 4, 1915 d. 1983
American blues musician. Known as "The Father of Chicago Blues."
John Cameron Swayze
Born April 4, 1906 d. 1995
American actor, TV personality, and Timex pitchman ("Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.").
Bea Benaderet
Born April 4, 1906 d. 1968
American actress. TV: The Flintstones (voice of Betty Ruble), The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (Blanche Morton), and Petticoat Junction (Shady Rest Hotel owner Kate Bradley).
George Winthrop "Dixie" Fish
Born April 4, 1895 d. 1977
American urologist, Olympic Gold Medal Rugby player (1920). His anecdotes about his medical training were the inspiration for the Dr. Kildare books and 1960s TV series.
Arthur Murray (Moses Teichman)
Born April 4, 1895 d. 1991
American ballroom dance instructor. He operated a chain of dance studios bearing his name. Some of his pupils included Eleanor Roosevelt, the Duke of Windsor, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, and Jack Dempsey. He and his wife also the hosted The Arthur Murray Party (1950-60). It was one of only six shows to appear on all four major TV networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, DuMont). Some consider it the longest running commercial on TV.
Inventor of the Cylinder Lock
Linus Yale, Jr.
Born April 4, 1821 d. 1868
American inventor. He invented the cylinder lock (1861), an improvement on the tumbler locks invented by his father.
Dorothea Lynde Dix
Born April 4, 1802 d. 1887
American philanthropist and prison reformer. A crusader for the humane treatment of the mentally ill, she helped establish over 30 hospitals for the mentally ill. She served as a Superintendent of Army Nurses during the Civil War, organizing and outfitting the Union Army hospitals.
Thaddeus Stevens
Born April 4, 1792 d. 1868
American political leader. He introduced the 14th Amendment and the Reconstruction Act of Feb. 6, 1867.
Deaths
Inventor of Scrabble
Alfred Mosher Butts
Died April 4, 1993 b. 1899
American architect, inventor of the game Scrabble (1933). Butts originally called the game "Lexiko," then "Criss-Cross Words." In 1948, unable to sell it to game companies he sold the manufacturing rights to James Brunot, but retained royalty rights. Brunot changed the name to "Scrabble" and also changed the board and simplified the rules. It is now one of the best-selling games of all time. Butts hand tabulated the frequency of letters in words using the dictionary and various newspapers to determine the number and scores of tiles. The word "Scrabble" actually means "to scratch or scramble for something."
Martin Luther King, Jr. (Michael King Jr.)
Died April 4, 1968 b. 1929
American Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil-rights leader. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by escaped convict James Earl Ray.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born Michael King, Jr., but in the 1930s, his father, Michael King, Sr., changed their names to Martin Luther King, Sr. and Jr.
Quote: Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
1885 Benz
1885 Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz
Died April 4, 1929 b. 1844
German automotive pioneer. Karl Benz built the first practical car powered by an internal combustion engine.
Left to right: Jacinta Marto, Lúcia dos Santos, and Francisco Marto
Left to right: Jacinta Marto, Lúcia dos Santos, and Francisco Marto
Francisco Marto
Died April 4, 1919 b. 1908
Fátima viewer. He was one of the three children who claimed to have seen the Our Lady of Fatima visions of the Virgin Mary near Fátima, Portugal (1917).
He and his sister Jacinta Marto, who also claimed to have seen the visions, would both die in the Great Influenza Epidemic several years later. Also witness to the visions was Lúcia dos Santos.
Steam Power versus Horse Power
Steam Power versus Horse Power
Horse vs. Machine
Peter Cooper
Died April 4, 1883 b. 1791
American inventor. He built the first U.S. steam locomotive (1830, the Tom Thumb), which participated in the celebrated Horse versus Machine race of 1830. Even though he lost the race due to mechanical difficulties, he proved the value of steam power. Up to then, railroad cars had been pulled by horses and mules.
He also invented a washing machine which was powered by the tides.
William Henry Harrison
Died April 4, 1841 b. 1773
American politician. 9th U.S. President (Mar. 4 - Apr. 4, 1841). He died of pneumonia 31 days after taking office, making him the first U.S. president to die in office. His inaugural address took almost two hours and is the longest in American history. Three weeks after his inauguration, he became sick with a cold. Harrison's doctors tried several cures, such as opium and leeches, but to no avail. He died nine days later.
Roger Ebert
Died April 4, 2013 b. 1942
American film critic. He won the first Pulitzer Prize for film criticism (1975) and wrote the screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970).
He and Gene Siskel hosted a series of popular review shows on television (1975-99).
Gloria Swanson (Gloria Svensson)
Died April 4, 1983 b. 1899
American actress, sex symbol of the 1920s. Film: Sunset Boulevard (1950).
Edgar Buchanan
Died April 4, 1979 b. 1903
American actor. TV: Petticoat Junction (Uncle Joe) and Green Acres (Uncle Joe).
Stompanato and Lana Turner
Stompanato and Lana Turner
Johnny Stompanato, Jr.
Died April 4, 1958 b. 1925
American murder victim. While fighting with his movie star girlfriend, Lana Turner, Turner's 14-year-old daughter rushed in and fatally stabbed him with a carving knife.
André Michelin
Died April 4, 1931 b. 1853
French tire maker. He and his brother founded the Michelin Tire Co. (1888). He also started publishing the Michelin Guide (1900) to promote tourism by car and thus boost the tire industry.
Isaac Kauffman Funk
Died April 4, 1912 b. 1839
American publisher, co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company (1891), which first published its famous dictionary in 1912.
Isaiah Thomas
Died April 4, 1831 b. 1749
American printer. He published the first U.S. novel written by an American (1789, The Power of Sympathy) and performed the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Oliver Goldsmith
Died April 4, 1774 b. 1728
Irish poet, author. Writings: The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), The Deserted Village (1770), and She Stoops to Conquer (1773, one of the greatest comedies in English literature).
Nicholas IV (Girolamo Masci)
Died April 4, 1292 b. 1227
religious leader, 191st Pope (1288-92). He was the first Franciscan elected pope.
Alfonso X
Died April 4, 1284 b. 1221
called "Alfonso the Wise," King of León and Castile (1252-82).
His Corpse was Tried and Found Guilty
Formosus
Died April 4, 896 b. circa 816
religious leader, 111th Pope (891-896). About seven months after Formosus' death, Pope Stephen VI had Formosus' corpse disinterred and dressed in Papal vestments and placed on a throne to stand trial in what is known as the Cadaver Trial. Formosus was found guilty and that he had been unworthy of the pontificate. His papacy was retroactively declared null, all his measures and acts were annulled, and the orders conferred by him were declared invalid. The papal vestments were torn from his body, the three fingers from his right hand he had used in blessings were cut off, and his corpse was thrown into the Tiber. The corpse was retrieved by a monk and eventually reinterred.
Formosus was tried for perjury and of having acceded to the papacy illegally, even though he had been unanimously elected pope. His troubles started after his interventions in power struggles over the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Kingdom of West Francia, and the Holy Roman Empire, in which he sided with Arnulf of Carinthia against Lambert of Spoleto.
Formosus had been unanimously elected pope.